


The Whole of the Moon

by Fullmoonstar00



Category: Harry - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, F/F, F/M, Harry Potter - Freeform, M/M, Mutual Pining, jily, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:54:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29169180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fullmoonstar00/pseuds/Fullmoonstar00
Summary: Remus Lupin couldn’t have known that Mary MacDonald’s wedding would be the place he would meet the love of his life, Sirius Black. Down the road, when things get hard, will he wish he’d never gone?
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	1. Wedding Bells

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya, this is my first attempt at a non-magical wolfstar au and honestly I’m scared. Please comment any storyline suggestions and any feedback :)))
> 
> Disclaimer: some of these characters are based off of ones created by JK Rowling and I did not invent them but I have created the world and situation they’re currently in x

_You are cordially invited to the wedding of:_

_Mary Macdonald and Stephen Daniels_

_23/6/2020 @ 11am_

_*click to view map*_

_Please rsvp ASAP_

Remus nervously read the e-invite again, checking they were definitely in the right place. It was a brilliant suggestion that they just email out the invitations rather than spend all that money on posting them out, he thought to himself.

He stared up at the church in front of him, it was tall and beautiful, the pathway to the door was decorated with bright blue ribbons and balloons filled with glitter. He played nervously with the cuff of his new suit, bought specially for the occasion.

He turned back to his car and stared at his reflection in the window. He was tall, skinny, blonde. His hair fell in soft curls and he ran his hand through, pushing it out of his eyes. His suit was brand new, by order of Mary who had threatened to cancel the wedding entirely when she’d seen his 8 year old suit he had originally planned on wearing. He started straightening his blue tie, still staring into the car window. A small hand then gently reached across him and straightened it for him. He looked up from the window to find Marlene, his plus one for the day, she beamed up at him.

Her sandy blonde hair was pinned into an intricate bun, with a few curly tendrils down the sides of her face. She was beautiful. Her nose sloped perfectly and her eyes were a dazzling shade of green, just like Remus’s, and her lips were plump and pink. She was wearing a baby pink sun dress which looked as though it could’ve been worn by Audrey Hepburn.

“Quite the most handsome man I’ve ever seen” she giggled, poking Remus gently.

“Well you obviously don’t spend too much time around men then my love” he replied.

“That my dear, as we both know, is very true” she winked at him. They both giggled at each other.

Remus glanced up at the clock on the church wall and motioned for them to head inside. Marlene took his hand softly and they walked into the church together. They were asked who’s party they were in and then ushered to the bride’s side.

Remus and Marlene searched for their names on the seats. They searched up and down the back rows and found their names weren’t there. Remus could feel himself sweating, though they were early and only a few other guests were seated he felt deeply embarrassed. Just as he was about to give up looking, he felt a firm hand clasp his back.

He span round to see Stephen, looking incredibly dapper and extremely happy, behind him. He threw his arms around Remus and the two patted each other backs in a friendly embrace.

“Why are you all the way back here? You’ve got nearly front row seats my friend! Or were you just scouting which of the other guests you might sneak off with tonight?” He winked at Remus.

The two men laughed and Remus felt a weight off his shoulders. Marlene had obviously cottoned on to the conversation and she came and joined the two of them.

“We were date hunting, you caught us” she held her arms out in front of her and closed her eyes tightly, as if waiting to be handcuffed. Stephen moved past Remus and scooped Marlene into a big hug too. The two of them giggled like children and Remus did too.

The three of them walked toward the front of the church, where the podium was set up and the vicar was running lines, and Stephen pointed to the second row of seats.

“Honestly, if it was up to Mary and I we’d have had you front row but I have a feeling her mother might’ve killed you both mid wedding.” They laughed together again and then Stephen excused himself to return to his groomsmen.

Remus and Marlene took their seats and stared in awe at the beautiful church they were in. The ceiling was impossibly high and the walls were decorated in beautiful art. Remus looked behind him and watched the steady flow of people arrive to fill the rest of the empty seats. He felt slightly guilty at being so close to the action but also felt incredibly touched that Mary and Stephen thought so highly of him.

In truth, Mary and Remus were colleagues, they had both started work at the record store at the same time, eight years ago, fresh out of school and eager to listen to music all day and get paid for it. All the years of working together made them best friends and Remus had even introduced her to Stephen, 6 years ago, accidentally, when they bumped into him whilst stumbling home from a work Christmas party. Remus had recognised Stephen from school and filled with drunken courage, had shouted hello at him across the street. Remus drunkenly introduced the two, even though he barely knew Stephen, and the sparks were there instantly. He had watched their relationship grow and had admired their love for all six years and now he was incredibly happy to be able to witness their big day.

Marlene squeezed his thigh gently, recognising he was reminiscing and bringing him back to the moment. He stared at her with awe. Remus loved Marlene, he couldn’t explain it. No words would suffice. When he looked at her he instantly felt happy and relaxed and she knew just how to get him to calm down when he was in one of his tempers. Marlene loved Remus equally as much.

He leaned down to whisper something to her.

“I was so relieved when you didn’t burst into flames when we entered the church” she let out a quiet laugh and replied “I was surprised you didn’t either, maybe Gods changed his mind about our kind” they playfully nudged each other and laughed.

They continued chatting and giggling to each other until the organ played its first note and everyone in the room stood up and turned towards the door. The room was full now and everyone was waiting for the doors to open. As music filled the church, echoing off the walls, the doors opened and in walked the three bridesmaids one after the other. They were wearing floor length blue dresses and held bouquets of blue roses. They were all stunning. The most striking of the three was the gorgeous, red haired one who looked the same age as Remus, Mary and Marlene. Remus convinced himself that she must be the famous Lily, Mary’s best friend from school. He could see now why Mary talked about Lily like she was an angel, she certainly looked and seemed the part. She sauntered down the aisle without a care in the world, smiling and even sometimes winking at people as she walked by them.  
  
Remus knew on the spot that she would be a good friend to have and made it his mission for the day to introduce himself properly and get to know her a bit better.

Then came Mary. Remus was sure that, in that moment, he had never seen anyone so happy and so beautiful.

She walked gracefully down the aisle, beaming from ear to ear, the train of her veil brushing the floor lightly behind her. Remus stared at her in awe, his eyes filling with proud tears, she saw him instantly and gave him a small wink before joining Stephen on the stage area.

The wedding was breathtaking and their vows were home-made and perfect. Weddings were never something Remus gave much though to, but he decided right there and then that he wanted to get married one day.

The congregation followed the happy couple outside to take photos in the church’s garden. Everyone chatted happily amongst themselves, some marvelling at Mary’s extravagant dress, some discussing if they thought it was too hot and some spectating over what they thought the first dance song might be.

Marlene and Remus were trapped in a heated debate about what their vows would be if they married each other and Remus didn’t even hear Mary calling him.

“Remus!!”

He looked up, gazing around for the source of the voice. Everyone was looking at him.

Mary was smiling widely and waving her hand, calling him over. He went over quickly and asked if everything was okay.

“Yes you knob, we want a picture with the man that brought us together!” Stephen said before Mary could.

Remus felt a stab of warmth in his heart and thought he might cry if he thought about what they had said too much. Mary and Stephen positioned themselves on either side of Remus and the three of them smiled for a few photos together.

The rest of the guests had gone back to chatting amongst themselves and after a long hug from both the bride and groom, Remus went back to join Marlene.

Just as he reached her someone grabbed his wrist, spun him round and threw their arms around his neck. He was taken completely by surprise and all he could do was wait for them to let go again.

When they did let go, Remus saw it was Lily, who had accomplished his own mission for him, unknowingly. She had taken her hair down and now it was flowing over her shoulders, shining in the sun like fire. Closer now Remus could see even more of what made her so beautiful. She had light freckles that splattered across her face and the most encompassing green eyes. She had her telltale blue dress and bouquet and was grinning up at him with a sort of insane smile.

Remus felt, in that moment, as if he’d known her his whole life and, inwardly, he hoped he would continue to know her from that moment on.

“I’m so glad to finally meet the man who started the whole love story! I’m Lily and you must be Remus” He nodded stupidly and she wrapped him in another tight embrace and now familiar with who it was, he hugged her back tightly.

Remus turned to grab Marlene and pulled her gently into the conversation.

“This is Marlene McKinnon, she works at the store with Mary and I” he smiled sweetly at Lily.

Without warning, Lily wrapped Marlene in a tight hug too.

“I’m so glad to finally meet you both. We have to have dinner together soon, all get to know each other” she was practically bouncing with excitement.

Remus though to himself that she radiated happiness and by the look on Marlene’s face, as she smiled at Lily, she agreed.

“Oh god, almost forgot, here’s my other half now!” Lily waved frantically 

A tall man with jet black hair and soft blue eyes came and stood next to her. His face was soft and also splattered with light freckles.

He smiled widely at Remus and offered him a hand to shake. Remus shook it and introduced himself.

“My names James, we all used to go to school with Mary!” He had the same posh accent that Mary had.

Remus was about to question who James meant by “all” when another hand appeared in front of him.

It was a strong hand, with long delicate fingers and soft wrists. He took it instinctively, shaking it and looked up at the other man.

Remus only just managed to stop himself from audibly gasping as he stared at the man.

The man before him had long, dark hair that framed his face perfectly. His jawline was sharp and his cheekbones were high and defined. He had intense, grey eyes and perfect white teeth.

He was slightly shorter than Remus, but still tall by any standard and he was wearing a perfectly tailored suit.

Remus stood dumbstruck for a moment, not realising he was still shaking the hand. He let go quickly and smiled at the other man.

“Remus Lupin” he said awkwardly.

The other man met his eyes and held his gaze intensely.

Then he grinned, a wide, enticing, electrifying grin.

Remus felt his stomach flutter.

“Sirius Black” he replied, smiling at Remus.


	2. Hallways and Staircases

Remus gripped his hand tightly around the steering wheel. He couldn’t help but think about how Sirius’s hand had felt clasping his just moments ago.

Marlene and Remus were in the car heading to the castle that the dinner and reception were being held at. It was the prestigious boarding school that Mary, Sirius, Lily and James had all gone to, it seemingly doubled as a hotel now.

They were strongly advised by Mary to book rooms and stay at the school as there was to be a never-ending open bar at the wedding. Knowing himself, Marlene and their relationships with alcohol well enough, he'd booked them a room for the night.

He drummed his fingers to the tune of the radio and tried to ignore Marlene’s bouncy, excited energy. She was practically humming and in his peripheral vision he could see she kept looking at him, grinning widely. He was intent on ignoring her and pretending he didn’t notice.

Finally, he sighed loudly. “Speak your mind McKinnon.” 

“Oh…My…God.” She practically screamed. “That man was sculpted by God himself. The hair. The eyes. The jawline.”

“Who?” Remus caught Marlene’s eye for a second and they both laughed.

"Seriously though Remus, don't do anything to disgrace us tonight because I want to keep those three in our lives for a long time!" 

Remus crossed his hand over his heart as a promise to behave.

He knew he wanted to be friends with James, Lily and Sirius. The conversation was easy and they had been so warm and welcoming to the two of them, Remus couldn't help but hope that Lily had been genuine about them all getting to know each other better. Something in his mind told him that Lily was not the kind of person to make empty promises for the sake of conversation and this made Remus happy.

.........................................................................

Remus pulled down a side road, confronted by the sight of the huge, medieval looking castle in front of them.

They spied a large road sign ahead and Remus slowed for them to read it.

_Hogwarts School_

_Founded 990 A.D._

“How very fancy.” Marlene said in a faux posh accent.

Remus parked up in front of the entrance to the school and the two of them stared up at it for a long time, in complete shock.

The walls were impossibly high, and the brick was an odd, faded, red colour. It was as though it was straight off of the pages of a book, so beautiful and stately. There were turrets on the top of every corner, birds nested in little nooks and statues of knights and angels seemed to leap out of the walls.

As Remus stared at the ornate building, he suddenly felt a sense of home. As though he might’ve belonged in a place like this, in an alternate universe maybe he would’ve excelled at a school like this, if he’d come from money, if he was a different person. 

Remus sighed and pushed this thought away as Marlene guided him through the huge entrance hallway, towards a desk that was manned by a seemingly impossibly old man. He looked up at them with a huge smile.

“MacDonald wedding party?” The man smiled at them, looking up from his book.

He was small, he had a white beard that hung all the way down to his stomach and he had a purple suit on. His smile was kind and genuine and he seemed like the kind of man that would be a nice grandfather, Remus thought to himself.

Marlene nodded at him with enthusiasm. “We’ve also got a room booked, under Lupin”

The man laughed quietly and scanned his book for a second before reaching for a set of keys. He placed them in Remus’s palm and pointed the two in the directions of some stairs.

Marlene and Remus walked away arm in arm and wound through the corridors together, occasionally bumping into other guests as they searched for their rooms. They'd walked up what felt like the hundredth staircase and were just rounding a corner that they were certain was the right one when Remus spotted a flash of red hair, disappearing around the corner before them.

Remus heart fluttered with excitement and he mentally tried to compose himself before they rounded the corner. 

Down the corridor they found Lily, James, and much to Marlene’s excitement, Sirius. Remus tightened his grip on her arm, reminding her to be subtle, and luckily, she understood and instantly calmed down.

Lily and James were stood in front of one of the doors, they both smiled and waved in unison as Marlene and Remus walked past. Sirius was in front of the next door down, fiddling with his key, not seeming to notice them walking toward him.

Remus noticed there was only one door left in the hallway and cursed his luck under his breath as they walked past Sirius, toward it. As if, with all of the rooms in this giant place he has ended up in the one next to the most gorgeous man alive.

Remus was about to turn the key in the lock and hurry inside when he felt someone elbow him softly in the ribs.

“Are you stalking me?” Sirius was looking at him, grinning that same electrifying grin. His long, black hair was tied up now and Remus struggled, again, not to make any strange noises when their eyes met.

“What?... No. I- um… I – we” Remus stuttered, his face flushing bright red. Sirius laughed a little, not laughing at Remus’s embarrassment but laughing as though they’d always been friends. He then turned the locked and walked into his own room, still giggling to himself.

Remus quickly opened the door to his own room and, when he and Marlene were inside, he knowingly clamped his hand over her mouth to stop her screaming excitedly.

“Not a word Marlene! God knows how thin these walls are.” He whispered. “Now, when I remove my hand you are going to be silent! Understand?” Marlene nodded, laughing through her nose.

He very hesitantly moved his hand. Still remaining near her in case he had to do it again. She mimed zipping her lips, winked at him and went to drop her bags next to the ridiculously large bed.

The room was stunning. It was big, probably big enough to house 6 people. The windows were framed by beautiful, crimson curtains with lions on them, sewn with golden thread. The bed was a four poster, king-size with matching crimson covers and gold pillows.

Remus walked over to the bed and picked up the piece of paper that laid there. It was a welcome slip, it had a small map of the castle with the reception and dining hall circled, it was addressed to ‘Mr and Mrs Lupin’ Remus laughed out loud at this.

Marlene came up behind and wrapped her arms around Remus’s waist. He relaxed into her arms and leaned his head back onto her shoulder, closing his eyes. She was a fair bit smaller than him, but she stood on her tiptoes so he could rest comfortably. She kissed his cheek gently.

“We really could be a married couple.” Marlene whispered into Remus’s ear.

He smiled and turned to face her, kissing the top of her head and whispered into her hair. “As much as it breaks my heart, I know I’m not your type.”

There was a very gentle knock on the door.

Marlene practically ran to answer it. She ripped it open with excitement.

“Lily!” Marlene screamed. She flew into the arms of the redhead, hugging her tightly.

“We're heading down for some drinks before the dinner, do you guys want to join us?” Lily beamed at them.

Marlene and Lily then both looked back at Remus with puppy dog eyes and he couldn’t possibly have said no, not that he was going to.


	3. Getting To Know You

The five shot glasses were slammed on the bar as James let out a loud gasp. All of the friends cringing from the taste of the vodka. 

“Okay, so we know you work with together but when did you two start dating? Did you meet at the store?” The redhead’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she turned and spoke to Marlene and Remus. 

The pair looked at each other without saying a word and burst out laughing. As if lily had said the funniest thing in world. 

“Oh god Remus is not my boyfriend; we love each other very much but we’re less Romeo and Juliet and more Hansel and Gretel” Marlene wheezed through tears of laughter. 

The other three then joined in the laughter, Sirius caught Remus's eye and held his gaze for a few seconds as they continued chatting.

Remus couldn’t help but feel glad that Sirius now knew that he wasn’t dating Marlene. 

He looked at Sirius again, after the other man had looked away. His hair was flowing freely again, curling slightly as it brushed the tops of his shoulders. Strands hung over his face as he laughed, he occasionally brushed them away or tucked them behind his ears. Remus’s heart fluttered as he stared at Sirius’s hands. 

His attention was stolen by the sudden movement of almost every guest in the room. The seating plan had been placed beside the entrance to the dining hall and the doors were now open. 

The five of them, all feeling mildly tipsy, headed over to the board to find their arrangements. Remus silently prayed that they would all be sat together and he could tell the others felt the same. 

“Wicked!” James said seeing that the group were all sat at the same table. Marlene and Lily took him and Sirius by the arms and led them away as Remus continued to stare at the table plan. Something was bothering him about it, but he couldn’t work out what. 

“Don’t look too closely or you’ll uncover my master plan!” Remus heard a very familiar voice over his shoulder. 

He turned to see Mary, clasping Stephen’s hand. Both looking incredibly happy.

Mary had changed into a different dress, which came as no surprise to anyone who knew Mary ‘star of the show’ MacDonald. Her original dress was a big, puffy, white, princess ball gown that seemed to have been plucked from the pages of a fairy tale. She now wore a more modern wedding dress. It was white and shone like silk in the light, it had a high neck and long sleeves and hugged her figure gently.

She looked equally as beautiful in both. 

“Explain yourself MacDonald!” Remus said in a fake authoritative voice. 

“I may have snuck into the room and changed a few seats around when I saw my five favourite people mingling and slamming shots at the bar” She smiled guiltily. 

Remus looked back at the plan and finally worked out what was bothering him. His and Marlene’s names were the only ones that were written on a white tip-ex base. They’d been moved to that table from another one. 

Mary seemed to shrink slightly, as if she was worried she'd upset him but Remus threw his arms around both of them and left to take his seat with the group, wearing a ridiculous grin on his face. 

As he entered the Grand Hall he looked around the room, taking it all in. There were large paintings that decorated every inch of the walls. Candles had been strung from the ceiling and looked as though they were floating in mid-air. Each table had a either a crimson, mustard, emerald or navy cloth over it and had various sized candles and tea lights. The centrepieces were all bouquets of white roses with little plastic golden stars mixed in. 

He headed straight for the crimson covered table he knew was his.

The only seat left at the table was between Sirius and Marlene. Although on the plan Remus was between Lily and Marlene. He took his seat but nudged Marlene and raised an eyebrow quizzically. 

“We thought we’d do a bit of rearranging. This way, Sirius is next to you **and** James, James is next to Lily, Lily is next to her favourite person, me obviously and I get to sit next to you as well!” She explained happily. 

“What are we? Five years old” Remus laughed and the table laughed with him. 

“I told you he’s perfect James!” Sirius prodded his friend who nodded back enthusiastically. Remus face flushed instantly, had Sirius really just said that?! 

Sirius glanced back at Remus with a huge grin and slapped him on the back. “I told James we need a funny friend, and you’ve taken the title mate” 

Sirius hand lingered against Remus back for a moment, his palm felt hot even through Remus’s suit. Remus was holding his breath, not letting it out until Sirius moved his hand back to his own lap. 

The five of them continued to chat and drink glasses of wine as the dinner was served.

Remus felt privileged to be in the presence of these people and he noticed things about them as he observed them all. 

James talked so fondly of his childhood, he spoke with so much love and gratitude about his parents and Remus noticed that even when she wasn’t looking, James looked at Lily with more love than Remus had ever witnessed.

Before that day Remus didn’t know a person could love someone the way he knew James loved Lily.

The funniest thing, in Remus’s opinion, was that Lily looked at James exactly the same way. Her large green eyes filled with love and awe as she glanced at her boyfriend.

Remus learned that Lily had a sister that she was desperately trying to keep in touch with, even though it was clear she didn’t want to keep in touch with Lily. Remus couldn’t understand how any person could not want Lily Evans in their life. 

Though Remus didn’t learn any new facts about Marlene, he saw a new social side to her. He saw how her eyes lit up when multiple people spoke to her or paid attention to what she said. He saw the gentle longing in her eyes when she saw the way Lily and James looked at each other. Marlene deserved someone to look at her that way. 

Sirius didn’t talk much about his childhood and the others didn’t pressure him to. Remus learned that he was good at sports, was excellent at school without even trying (much to Lily and James annoyance) and was currently living alone in a flat five minutes away from James and Lily’s own house in London.

Remus also observed that he truly loved his friends, he stared at them the way Remus knew he stared at Marlene, with awe and gratitude. 

“Your turn Remus, tell us all your secrets” Sirius turned to him, his grey eyes baring into Remus’s soul. His lips curled into a smirk. 

Remus’s palms suddenly felt very sweaty as he tried to think what to say. He was not drunk enough to tell them his whole life story so he went for a very toned down version. 

“I left school after A-Levels and applied to work in a record store on a dare from my Dad. Ended up getting the job because of my incredibly superior knowledge and taste in music.” The five laughed. “Made some okay friends.” He winked at Marlene. “And now I’m living by myself in London too” he smiled at Sirius.

"Good to hear" Sirius said very quietly before taking a long sip from his glass. He grinned that Sirius Black grin and then made the whole table toast to 'living alone in London'

Remus's face hurt from smiling and laughing so hard, a kind of pain he welcomed, different from all the pain he'd experienced before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick explanations:
> 
> I personally don't believe that Mary would take her husbands surname as hers suits her so well and therefore Remus still calls her "MacDonald".
> 
> A-Levels are exams that many students in the UK take when they're 18
> 
> I have written the next chapter already so it'll be posted shortly!
> 
> Thanks again for reading guys xx


	4. Getting To Know You - Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very short one but I wanted to introduce a little bit more of the personality of the characters we love so much!x

The table had descended into a conversation about the early years of their friendships. Marlene explained how she’d tried to force Remus to stop being a music snob and she was still working on it. Sirius explained how James had spent about six years doing stupid things for Lily’s attention and that she’d had none of it, until she finally gave in a went on a date with him in the hopes he’d back off. It seemed that much to everyone's shock, Lily included, she'd fallen in love with him instantly.

“Well jokes on her because she’s stuck now!” James exclaimed, he wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulders and pulled her in for a sweet kiss. 

He then toasted his drink to his girlfriend. The five of them knocked their glasses together clumsily. 

Lily posed a question to the table, she was slurring her words slightly, obviously unable to handle her wine as well as the others. It was very funny. “If you were an animal what would you be? James honey, you first!”

James thought for a moment and then said “I’d be a Stag!” He puffed his chest out. “They’re very regal and kind of tall but also cute, like me. Oh and I like the prongs they have” He moved his hand to his head and tried to make the shape of antlers. 

“You mean antlers...” Sirius was laughing out loud at his friend. His eyes watering as he clutched his chest and tried to stop laughing. Remus couldn’t look away. 

“You know what I meant. Your go Black!” 

“I think I’d be a dog.” Sirius said without pausing for thought. It was as though he knew or had thought about it before. “A big black dog, one that you’d find protecting someone, one that you can tell has been through rough patches but is still trusting and friendly.” His eyes were thoughtful and focused on his glass as he explained. 

An odd silence has descended upon the table, this remained for only a second before Sirius looked up and added “and I really want to be able to chase my own tail. That looks like so much fun” everyone erupted into laughter at this, including Sirius. 

Everyone turned to Remus now. He thought hard. There wasn’t a single animal he could relate to and the wine in his brain wasn’t making it easier to think of one. 

“That’s easy!” Marlene interjected. Remus turned to look at her waiting for her answer on his behalf. “You’re definitely a werewolf!” She smiled happily at her answer and Remus turned to the others. They were very obviously waiting for an explanation too. 

“They’re a bit misunderstood I think, there’s something a bit sexy about half man half wolf” she winked at him. “Oh and I swear every full moon you get in the worst moods! I actively avoid you at work” Remus rolled his eyes dramatically and laughed at her. 

“You’re a nightmare McKinnon!” He bumped her with his shoulder. “Your go then, I’ll accept my being a werewolf” 

“Oh I’m obviously a Cat. I love the outdoors, I hate the idea of being trapped, I hate baths. If you scratch behind my ear my leg will shake probably and I feel I’m a very free spirit.” The group all giggled and nodded in agreement with this statement. 

“If any of you suggest I’m an orangutan because of my hair I’ll throw my drink at you!” Lily warned, staring at the four of them, all trying to hold back their laughter. “I am of course, a doe. Which is a female deer. This is not because of James being a stag before any of you cringe at us being annoying. Doe’s are fiercely protective and loyal. They’re friendly creatures and they get to roam around freely for their whole lives and that sounds perfect!” She smiled happily. 

The conversation turned to sports now and Remus tuned out for a moment. He thought about himself and about werewolves. Werewolves were always portrayed as the bad guys but he’d always felt they were misunderstood. Though they weren’t real he had sympathy for their stories. He made a mental note to check consistencies between his mood and the moon, as he’d never registered being in a bad mood in line with a full moon. He laughed to himself at the thought of being a werewolf. 

“What’s so funny?” Sirius practically whispered and poked his elbow gently into Remus’s rib again. Remus looked up at him, snapping out of his mini trance. 

“Just thinking about werewolves” Remus answered honestly.

Sirius let out a small laugh and stared back at Remus.

"I knew there was something magic about you" he smiled, turning back to the table, leaving Remus's heart a fluttering mess. 

After hours of chatting and eating and lots of drinking, the tables were moved back to create a dance floor, and the reception began. 

More guests had arrived and lots of “old school friends” came and said their hellos to Lily, James and Sirius. Lots of very pretty girls came to the table to introduce themselves to the group, most of them hugged Sirius for longer than the others. Some of them hugged Sirius only, before leaving. 

Remus was just about to collect a round of drinks from the table when their was a startling shrieking from across the room. It seemed to be growing louder. 

The whole table looked over to find a very tall, very pretty woman with curly black hair running towards them with her arms outstretched. 

“ _LILY EVANS_!” She screamed. Everyone in the room was looking as she scooped the bridesmaid up into her arms and span her round. 

Once Lily was back on solid ground she beamed at the girl. Sirius and James both hugged her and Remus knew where this was heading. ‘Old school friend’ he thought to himself. 

The girl ran round and hugged Remus, the way Lily had that morning, not even knowing him but still embracing him tightly. With his inhibitions lower and his comfort higher, Remus squeezed her equally as tightly. She stared up at him with an infectious smile. 

Her skin was beautiful and dark, her hair was incredible and curly and moved of its own accord, flowing like water.

“I’m Dorcas!” She grinned. 

“Remus” he responded and she squeezed him again and then moved past him to see Marlene. 

She stopped in front of her. The two just stared at each other for a moment. Marlene then started nervously playing with bits of her golden hair.

The girl then reached forward and hugged Marlene, very gently but for a long time. 

“I’m Dorcas!” She repeated, gazing intently into Marlene’s eyes, it was as though you could see the sparks flying between them.

“Marlene.” She replied, still fiddling with her hair but now smiling very widely. 


End file.
